Guidelines for Wearing Cloth Facemasks

March 30, 2020

Some of our faculty and staff have asked about wearing a mask while on the VUMC campus. Reasons for this range from concerns about possible spread without symptoms and self-protection.

The risk of spread of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 without symptoms is felt to be a rare means of spread, and more often spread may be occurring with the initial onset of respiratory symptoms (e.g. runny nose  person touches face  person then can contaminate surfaces).

Currently, no health authority recommends universal masking in healthcare facilities to prevent COVID-19 spread. (Although, this may prevent a person from subconsciously touching their face.)

As such, VUMC employees may wear fabric facemasks under the following rules:

Important Infection Prevention Note: Fabric facemasks are not considered personal protective equipment (PPE). They should not be used where entering the room of a patient on droplet precautions, including those with known or suspected COVID-19.

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